Apparatus and method for canting a skier

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for canting a skier comprising a cant angle plate that locks on to the heel bearing surface of a ski binding. The cant angle plate has portions of varying thickness for inducing a cant angle when the heel of a boot rests on the cant angle plate locked on to the heel bearing surface of the binding. Thus, the cant angle plate alters the cant angle at which a boot supports a skier&#39;s foot and lower leg, relative to the longitudinal running surface or bottom plane of an attached ski.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of a non-provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 11/397,228 which claims priority from a provisionalapplication filed Nov. 12, 2005 entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CANTING ASKIER, Application No. 60/736,470 which is hereby incorporated byreference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

To maximize skiing enjoyment, proficiency, and safety, all skiers shouldhave their equipment anatomically adjusted. One of the most criticalanatomical adjustments is referred to as “canting”.

Canting alters the lateral tilt or “cant angle” at which a boot supportsa skier's foot and lower leg, relative to the longitudinal runningsurface or bottom plane of an attached ski. Optimizing the cant angleimproves skeletal alignment and allows the skier to tilt or “edge” theski with the least amount of muscular effort.

In the 1993 book “The Athletic Skier”, authors Warren Witherell andDavid Evrard wrote that, “Only when properly canted can our bodies andskis work as efficiently as possible. By tilting or canting our boots,we can precisely control the geometry of our legs and establish an idealposition over our skis. Canting is the final step in the alignmentprocess that makes efficient and balanced skiing possible for allskiers.”

Recent changes in equipment design have only magnified the importance ofoptimizing a skier's cant angle. Some of these changes include thelateral stiffening of boot shells, the increased elevation orstand-height of binding systems, and the exaggerated sidecut or shape ofmodern skis.

Unfortunately most ski shops still do not offer canting services,therefore, only a small percentage of skiers ever have their cant angletested or altered. There are numerous reasons for this which will becomeapparent in the review of prior art.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

Various prior art exists for altering the cant angle at which a bootsupports a skier's foot and lower leg, relative to the longitudinalrunning surface or bottom plane of an attached ski. All methods to datehave been based on a universal belief that canting must includemodifications under both the toe and heel support portions of a boot orbinding.

The classic method is to mount wedge-shaped shims or “cants” between thetop surface of the ski and the under surface of both the toe and heelunits of the binding. Some skiers have used strips of tape on both thetoe and heel as temporary or test cants, as depicted in “The AthleticSkier”, Chapter 34.

Another well-known method for altering the cant angle is to permanentlygrind or plane the bottom toe and heel sole portions of the boot.

A reversible variation of this technique is to use interchangeable“canted soles” as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,078,322 and 4,945,659.

Another approach is to utilize a ski boot with an adjustable sole thatcan pivot along a longitudinal axis as depicted in U.S. Pat. No.5,615,901.

Each of the above listed approaches suffer from a number ofdisadvantages:

(a) While the classic method of using wedge-shaped shims or “cants” canbe effective for altering a skier's cant angle, it requires a timeintensive process of custom mounting or remounting the binding on eachpair of the customer's skis. In most cases, a technician must first cutand drill the appropriate cant shim material to match the shape andscrew hole pattern of the particular binding being used. Next, thetechnician must carefully choose longer length screws to install thebinding with the cants to meet International Standard ISO 8364 for screwdepth and binding retention forces. If the screws chosen are a littletoo long, an expensive ski can easily be ruined. If screws are tooshort, the binding can pull out leading to potential skier injury.Because screw head shapes are often specific to particular bindingbrands and models, screws must be stocked in a multitude of styles andvarious lengths.

(b) The above procedure also creates a specific left and right ski dueto the angular orientation of the cant shims installed. This prevents askier from reversing his left and right skis out on the hill which isdesirable as edges become dull or damaged, especially for performanceminded skiers like instructors, patrollers and racers.

(c) There is also a growing retail trend towards selling more integratedski-binding systems. On many of these systems, the binding is notattached to the ski with screws, but by various other means such assliding the binding onto rails or tracks integrated into the skiconstruction. In these cases, the classic method of installing cantshims is not possible.

(d) An ever increasing number of skiers want to rent skis versus own, orat least “demo” various models before they buy. Due to the timerequirement and cost of installing cant shims, canted rentals are simplynot practical. Yet proper canting can make the difference between agreat skiing experience and never wanting to ski again.

(e) Due to the above problems and limitations on installing cant shims,a small percentage of ski shops and skiers prefer to permanently grindor plane the bottom toe and heel sole portions of the boot. This methodis known as “sole planing”. Unfortunately, sole planing is often animprecise operation that requires the use of dangerous machinery by skishop employees. Because its irreversible, a slight mistake can ruin anexpensive pair of boots. It also requires that the boot toe and heelsole portions be built back up to meet International Standard ISO 5355for boot sole thickness and shape dimensions.

(f) The use of interchangeable canted soles, as described in U.S. Pat.Nos. 4,078,322 and 4,945,659, requires that a special boot be purchasedand that the ski shop stock an assortment of canted soles only usefulfor the particular boot that supports the feature. Due to the cost ofproducing interchangeable canted soles, they have only been available ingross cant angle increments of 1 degree or greater. Only a limitednumber of boot models on the market accept this feature.

(g) The production and use of the ski boot design in U.S. Pat. No.5,615,901 with a pivoting adjustable sole has not proven to be practicalbecause of mechanical problems of implementation and the added weightand cost to produce the boot. This patented product is no longer on themarket.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

Accordingly, a need exists for a simple canting solution to overcome allof the problems of the prior art above. Several objects and advantagesof the present invention are:

(a) to provide an apparatus and method for canting a skier that is fastand efficient, that doesn't require the custom mounting or remounting ofeach pair of skis by a skilled or highly trained technician, or have thepotential for damaging the ski, or cause the binding to pull out whichcould lead to potential injury, nor the need to stock a multitude ofscrew styles in various lengths to meet International ISO Standards;

(b) to provide an apparatus and method for canting a skier that allowsthe left and right skis and any canting to be reversed or changed out onthe hill as desired;

(c) to provide an apparatus and method for canting a skier on integratedski-binding systems;

(d) to provide an apparatus and method for canting a skier on rental or“demo” skis, both quickly and cost effectively, to enhance the skier'sexperience and increase the desire to continue in the sport;

(e) to provide an apparatus and method for canting a skier that isaccurate and reversible, and that doesn't require dangerous grinding orplaning of the bottom toe and heel sole portions of the boot, nor anybuilding up of these sole portions to meet any International ISOStandards;

(f) to provide an apparatus and method for canting a skier that can beused with any boot and produced cost effectively in cant angleincrements finer than 1 degree; and

(g) to provide an apparatus and method for canting a skier that ispractical, lightweight, inexpensive and widely available.

Still further objects and advantages are to provide an apparatus andmethod for canting a skier that only has to include a modification underthe heel support portion of a boot or binding, that is designed toinduce a prescribed cant angle prescribed for a particular skier, thatcan be designed compatible with the majority of bindings and skis on themarket, and manufactured cost effectively out of well known materials,in various colors, and with visible labeling in a desired location toidentify the cant angle. Still further objects and advantages willbecome apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description anddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-B are side views of an embodiment of the invention integratedinto a ski binding system;

FIGS. 2A-B and 3A-B are simplified rear views showing a cutaway of theembodiment depicted in FIGS. 1A-B;

FIGS. 4A-B are cross-sectional views depicting a lock on embodiment of aCAP (Cant Angle Plate);

FIGS. 5A-D are cross-sectional views depicting a replacement embodimentof a CAP;

FIGS. 6A-D are cross-sectional views depicting an adaptor piece forreceiving a lock on embodiment of a CAP;

FIGS. 7A-B are cross-sectional views depicting a heel bearing surfacehaving mounting structures that allow connecting an embodiment of a CAPto the heel bearing surface;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view depicting a replacement brakeembodiment of the invention; and

FIGS. 9A-H are detailed views of a preferred lock on embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of theinvention. Examples of these embodiments are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. While the invention will be described inconjunction with these embodiments, it will be understood that it is notintended to limit the invention to any embodiment. On the contrary, itis intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as maybe included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined bythe appended claims. In the following description, numerous specificdetails are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding ofthe various embodiments. However, the present invention may be practicedwithout some or all of these specific details. In other instances, wellknown process operations have not been described in detail in order tonot unnecessarily obscure the present invention.

The inventor has discovered through analysis of current ski bindingfunction, the biomechanics of skiing, and extensive experimental testingof hundreds of skiers, that a skier can be effectively canted by makingmodifications under only the heel support portion of a boot or binding.This has allowed the design of a novel system of canting that eliminatesall of the problems listed above for actual and proposed cantingsystems. In the following, various embodiments of an apparatus andmethod for canting a skier are described that are extremely effective inaltering the cant angle at which a boot supports a skier's foot andlower leg, relative to the longitudinal running surface or bottom planeof an attached ski. Optimizing the cant angle improves skeletalalignment and allows the skier to tilt or “edge” the ski with the leastamount of muscular effort.

Referring now to the drawings where like numerals are used throughoutthe several views to indicate like or corresponding parts, FIG. 1A is anexploded side view of a standard boot, binding and ski and an embodimentof the present invention where the boot is not retained by the binding.In FIG. 1A, a portion of a ski 14 is depicted having a running surface16, which contacts the snow when skiing, and an upper surface 18 onwhich a binding 20 is mounted. Bindings come in many designs; howeverFIG. 1 depicts generic components which are included in most bindings. Adetailed description of the function of the components will be providedbelow.

The binding 20 includes a toe unit 22, a heel unit 24, and an integratedbrake system 26. All ski and binding systems are required by ski areasto include a leash or integrated brake system 26 which usually comprisesa brake compressor plate 28, a brake arm 30 on either side of the ski,and a brake heel bearing surface 32.

FIG. 1A also depicts a generic ski boot 40 having an outer shell 42including an upper cuff 44 for supporting the skier's lower leg and alower shell 46 for supporting the skier's foot. The boot also includes asole 50 having a boot toe portion 52 that is engaged by the toe unit 22of the binding and a boot heel portion 54 that is engaged by the heelunit 24 of the binding.

Different embodiments of a cant angle plate (CAP) 60 are designed eitherto mate with a standard heel bearing surface 32, to replace a standardheel bearing surface 32, or to mate with a modified heel bearing surface32, as described in detail later.

FIG. 1B includes the same components as FIG. 1A and depicts the ski boot40 retained by the binding 20. The boot toe portion 52 of boot sole 50is retained by the toe unit 22 of binding 20 and the boot heel portion54 of boot sole 50 is retained by the heel unit 24 of binding 20. Inthis embodiment the lower surface of boot heel portion 54 of boot sole50 does not directly contact the heel bearing surface 32 of integratedbrake system 26, but instead rests on the upper surface of CAP 60.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are simplified cut away rear views of ski boot 40, CAP60, heel bearing surface 32 and ski 14 of FIGS. 1A and 1B respectively,taken along the view lines 2A-2A and 2B-2B. In FIGS. 2A-2B, thehorizontal cross-sectional thickness of the exemplary CAP 60 decreasesfrom left to right to form a planar upper surface having a normal CAPaxis 62 tilted at a tilt angle (t) defined as the angle between a normalski axis 64 perpendicular to the running surface 16 of the ski and thenormal CAP axis 62 perpendicular to the planar upper surface of CAP 60.The upper surface of CAP 60 also is oriented at tilt angle τ from ahorizontal line parallel to running surface 16 of the ski.

As depicted in FIG. 2B, because the lower surface of boot heel portion54 rests directly on the upper surface of CAP 60 and is forced down onheel bearing surface 32 by the retention force of heel unit 24 (notshown), the entire boot 40 is forced to tilt from normal ski axis 64 bythe angle τ.

FIGS. 3A-B depict a CAP having a horizontal cross-sectional thicknessthat decreases from right to left to form a planar upper surface havinga normal CAP axis 62 tilted relative to the normal ski axis 64 at anangle of −τ.

FIGS. 4-8 illustrate various embodiments of CAP 60 designed to solveproblems posed by different industrial designs of the heel bearingsurface included in different brands of bindings. Each view is the sameas the view of FIGS. 2A-B but only the heel bearing surface 32 and CAP60 are depicted.

FIGS. 4-6 illustrate “retrofit” techniques that allow the heel bearingsurface 32 of an existing commercially available binding to accept a CAP60. Three different embodiments are depicted.

In FIGS. 4A and B the industrial design of the heel bearing surface 32is such that its shape allows a lock on CAP 60 to be designed that willlock onto existing features of heel bearing surface 32. By way ofillustration, heel bearing surface 32 depicted in FIG. 4A hasprotrusions which allow CAP 60 to be designed as a female part that willlock onto these protrusions. It is also necessary that the industrialdesign of the brake or heel unit allows CAP 60 to be locked onto heelbearing surface 32 without interference from other parts of the binding.

A detailed description of a preferred lock on embodiment of a CAP,designed for a particular commercial binding, will be described indetail below with reference to FIGS. 9A-H.

In FIGS. 5A-D the industrial design of the binding does not facilitatethe use of the lock on CAP of FIG. 4 because other parts interfere;there is no structure to facilitate locking on, or for other reasons.FIG. 5A depicts a heel bearing surface 32 having an interior structure70 including metal parts, for example, and a removable outer structure72, which is usually plastic, that has an upper surface on which theheel portion of the ski boot sole rests and which can be easily removedas depicted in FIG. 5B.

FIGS. 5C-D depict an embodiment of the invention in the form of areplacement CAP 60 r having an interior portion the same as theremovable outer structure 72 so that it may be connected to the interiorstructure 70. However, the cross sectional thickness of the upper partof replacement CAP 60 r varies so that the upper planar surface ofreplacement CAP 60 r forms an angle of τ relative to the running surface16 of the ski (not pictured).

In practice, the removal of the standard outer structure 72 andinstallation of replacement CAP 60 r is a simple operation that can beperformed quickly by ski shop personnel.

FIGS. 6A-D depict a variation of the embodiment of FIG. 5D that providesan adaptor part 74 to allow the use of interchangeable lock on CAP 60.The adaptor part 74 has an interior portion identical to the removableouter structure 72 (FIG. 5A-B) so that it can be connected to theinterior structure 70 of the heel bearing surface 32. The outer part ofadaptor part 74 includes structure that provides protrusions for a lockon CAP 60 to lock onto. This embodiment also requires that theindustrial design of the brake or heel unit does not interfere with thelocking-on of lock on CAP 60.

FIGS. 7A-B depict an embodiment for use with a commercially availableintegrated ski brake or heel unit having a heel bearing surface thatdoes not have a shape that permits locking-on and is not easilyremovable. In this embodiment, the heel bearing surface 32 has beenmodified by the manufacturer or ski shop personnel to include one ormore holes or other mounting structures to facilitate mounting a CAP 60.By way of example, in FIG. 7A the heel bearing surface 32 has holespositioned to receive pins protruding from the lower surface of CAP 60with each pin having a wider tip which locks into a respective hole.FIG. 7B depicts a heel bearing surface 32 having holes to accept screwsor other means for fastening CAP 60 to heel bearing surface 32.

FIG. 8 depicts a solution useful where a brake heel bearing surface 32is not removable, for example where it is molded around the brake armsand the industrial design is such that interference prevents the use ofa lock on CAP. In this example the manufacturer assembles a brake with aheel bearing surface having an upper surface for providing a tilt of aselected angle τ. The brake can be labeled or packaged with anindication of the tilt angle so the skier may select a brake with adesired tilt angle that can be mounted on the binding.

In each embodiment that includes a CAP, a CAP having a τ of 0° can beutilized initially or in the case where the skier does not require anytilt to be properly canted. For example, manufacturers could shipbindings with a 0° CAP 60 attached to an adaptor part 74 (FIG. 6C).Furthermore, for all embodiments the thickness of the various parts aredesigned so that any added step height is within the functionalretention range tolerances of the heel unit of the binding. A preferredthickness can also be provided at any lateral point, for example in thecenter of each CAP, to create a common point of thickness on variousangled CAPS.

FIGS. 9A-9H depict a preferred lock on embodiment of CAP 60 designed tolock onto structural features that are part of the industrial design ofa common ski brake heel bearing surface 32, manufactured by Marker®.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are left rear perspective views of the lock on CAP 60exploded above and then locked on the Marker® heel bearing surface 32.FIG. 9C is an exploded left side profile view. FIG. 9D is an explodedrear end view. In FIGS. 9A-9D, the Marker® heel bearing surface 32 isdepicted with contour lines indicating the shape of the surface.Furthermore, lock on CAP 60 includes left and right shrouding parts 90and 92, left, center and right sections 94, 96, and 98, and an insertionmember 100 (depicted in greater detail in FIGS. 9G-9H). The sides of theshrouds 90 and 92 are shaped to fit over complementary shaped sectionsof the heel bearing surface 32 to affect a secure mechanical lock. Thelock is further stabilized by the mating of the insertion piece 100 withan upper opening 102 (seen in FIGS. 9A and 9D) of the Marker® heelbearing surface 32.

FIG. 9F depicts a cross-section rear end view of FIG. 9E along view line9F of the upper surface of lock on CAP 60 that induces a tilt of 1° tothe left. Note that the upper surface of the center section 96 is lowerthan the upper tilted surfaces of the right and left sections 94 and 98so that the boot (not shown) is substantially supported by the uppertilted surfaces of the right and left sections 94 and 98. To create atilt of 1°, the far right thickness of section 98 is approximately40/1000 (0.040) of an inch thicker than the far left thickness ofsection 94. Also, by supporting the boot substantially on these rightand left sections, a wobble caused by a slightly higher center sectionof the common Marker® heel bearing surface 32 is reduced or eliminated.In this case a 0° CAP 60 would be useful to stabilize the skier even ifno cant angle alteration were required.

Additionally, the left and right shrouds 90 and 92 and additional centershrouds 104 and 106 (seen in FIGS. 9E-9H) prevent snow and debris frombuilding up between the lower surface of the lock on CAP 60 and theMarker® heel bearing surface 32. This is beneficial because debris orsnow buildup with a thickness of even 10/1000 (0.010) of an inch lodgedbetween the heel bearing surface and lower surface of the lock on CAP60, for example, could induce an undesirable cant angle change ofapproximately ¼° or possibly damage the lock on CAP 60 or induce wobble.

To better understand the operation and effectiveness of the invention,it is helpful to understand at least basic binding function. Most modernbindings include a toe unit and a heel unit that attach the boot to theski in two separate places, and that function in different ways toprovide effective retention of the boot to the ski for control, andeffective release of the boot from the ski in various directions forsafety, as in the case of a fall.

The toe unit captures or retains the toe portion of the boot sole forcontrol, and provides primarily lateral release in twisting falls andsometimes vertical release in backward falls. Since twisting falls andbackward falls can be quite dangerous, a lower retention force isprovided in the toe unit to allow these directions of release.Furthermore, mechanical play or elasticity is purposefully designed intothe toe unit. The first reason is to accommodate for allowable boot soleshape tolerances and expected wear. Another reason is to enhance releasewhen needed by minimizing or reducing friction between the boot sole andtoe unit. Due to the combined affect of the lower retention force andmechanical play or elasticity, the toe unit does not capture or hold theboot down against the ski, relative to the longitudinal running surface,as aggressively as the heel unit.

The heel unit captures or retains the heel portion of the boot sole forcontrol, and provides primarily vertical release in forward falls. Dueto a skier's forward momentum and the desire to prevent a prematurevertical release while skiing, a much higher retention force is designedinto the heel unit. Therefore, it is the heel unit of the binding thatmost securely holds the boot down against the ski, relative to thelongitudinal running surface, with the highest degree of retentionforce. Thus, the strong downward retention force of the heel unitcombined with the mechanical play or elasticity of the toe unit, providethat a cant angle change at only the heel bearing surface of thebinding, with no similar cant angle change at the toe bearing surface,is sufficient to alter the cant angle at which a boot supports a skier'sfoot and lower leg, relative to the longitudinal running surface orbottom plane of an attached ski.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE

Accordingly, various embodiments of an apparatus and method for cantinga skier have now been described which are compatible with existingbinding systems, that can be used to modify existing binding systems, orcan be manufactured into existing binding systems by bindingmanufacturers. All of these embodiments provide a fast, accurate,reversible, safe and inexpensive means to alter a skier's cant angle,and can be easily applied by any ski shop personnel or by the skierhimself.

While the above description contains much specificity, this should notbe construed as limitations on the scope of the invention but as merelyproviding illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodimentsof the invention. Many alternatives and substitutions will now beapparent to persons of skill in the art.

Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the followingappended claims and their legal equivalents, not by the examples given.

1. An apparatus for mounting a ski boot on a ski to create a cant angleat which a boot supports a skier's foot and lower leg, relative to thebottom plane of an attached ski, the apparatus comprising: a toe unit ofa ski binding mounted on the upper surface of the ski; a heel unit of aski binding mounted on the upper surface of the ski, with the heel unithaving a heel bearing surface that supports the heel of an attached skiboot; a cant angle plate, adapted to be locked on to the heel bearingsurface, having a varying cross-section so that the upper surface of thecant angle plate forms a tilt angle relative to the bottom plane of theski when attached to the heel bearing surface.